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mybeautifulwifegojo · 3 months ago

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I haven't got a title for this yet and it's still very much a rough draft but here is some Writing

Guide/Sentinel AU because I'm trash for this dynamic

“Shoko.”

The newly-appointed doctor looked up from writing a report to see her yearmate and best friend leaning heavily on her office door, his eyes squinted behind his dark glasses. He looked miserable.

“Headache’s worse,” Satoru said shortly.

Shoko pursed her lips, frowning, and stood, walking over to place her fingertips against his forehead. He leaned into her touch gratefully, sighing in relief.

“Is it because of the Six Eyes?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Satoru said, eyes already drifting shut. The tension in his forehead and jaw eased as Shoko used her power to pull away the strain of overstimulation, synthesizing it into calm, peace, reassurance. “I think I might be reaching the point where I need to wear a blindfold. Glasses aren’t cutting it anymore; I can see fucking photons now, Shoko-chan. Not all the time, but… often enough.”

“Is that normal?” she asked, shocked. “Being able to see particles and atoms and such?”

“Unfortunately, yes. The older I get, the more I’ll see. The oldest recorded bearer of the Six Eyes gouged them out of her own skull at fifty years old because she couldn’t sleep anymore, even with metal plates sewn into her blindfold. Luckily we don’t tend to live much longer than thirty, so I probably won’t reach that point. For now, I just need more than sunglasses.” Satoru sighed again and hugged Shoko tightly. “Thanks for helping with the headache. Sorry to interrupt you for silly shit.”

“It’s not silly, Satoru.” Shoko returned the embrace, rubbing his back lightly. She could count his vertebrae and feel his ribs through his clothes. “You should be eating more.”

“Not hungry,” he muttered.

“Look, I know it’s only been three years since… but you have to take better care of yourself. Find a Guide you can bond with, maybe. I can help if you want.”

“No. Absolutely not.” Satoru let go, stepped back, hitched on an incredibly fake smile. “I’m fine for now, but thanks for worrying about me.”

Shoko nodded. They’d had this argument enough times before. It wasn’t worth it to push. “Eat more. I don’t care what. Gorge yourself on cake and candy if that’s what it takes. But just… get nutrients into your body. You need the energy. Please, Satoru? For my sake if not your own?”

He scowled, but slumped in defeat and nodded. “Okay. For you,” he agreed. “So you can stop worrying.”

“Thanks. Sleep well, Satoru.”

“You too, Shoko.”

~\0/~

Bright.

Loud.

People. People all over. Too many. Too much danger. Everything… too…

Guide. Close by. Down a quiet street. He had to get to them. That locus of calm, a beacon of safety, a point of rest.

Bright. Loud. Escape, like a wounded animal.

Too bright.

Too loud.

Car coming at ten kilometers an hour, weighing 1,379 kilograms, containing four people with a combined weight of 105 kilograms, steady speed, not deadly but certainly enough to hurt him—no it was not a threat, not a threat, not a threat.

Bright, loud, bright, loud, bright, loud—where was the Guide? He needed—he needed them to—

Here. Here, the Guide was here, in this house. He slapped his palm clumsily against the doorbell. Too loud. He could hear it from outside the door.

The door opened. The Guide stood there.

The Guide… was a tiny child.

He made a small, desolated noise and mumbled, “But you’re a baby,” before he fainted.

~\0/~

Somehow, Yuji caught the strange man as he fell, and yelled frantically over his shoulder, “Grandpa! Grandpa, help!”

His grandfather rushed down the stairs, a dented aluminum baseball bat in one gnarled hand, but froze when he saw that Yuji was supporting the torso of an unconscious man. “Yuji, what—” he began, bewildered.

“I don’t know!” Yuji interrupted. “He just—he just fell, I think he’s hurt, Grandpa we have to call an ambulance!”

Grandpa helped him get the stranger to the sofa, where the old man and the frightened child managed to get him arranged more or less without any twisted limbs. Yuji tried to step away from the stranger, but his hand latched on to Yuji’s wrist, and somehow, Yuji knew that if he broke free, the man would suffer.

“He isn’t bleeding,” Grandpa muttered, inspecting the man suspiciously. “Doesn’t smell like alcohol, either.” Then he noticed how the man was gripping his grandson’s arm, and how Yuji was staring at that scrunched, pained face. “Yuji. Is he one of those special people?”

Yuji nodded, his gaze still riveted on the stranger’s face. This was not the first stranger to seek him out and cling to him, but it was the first time they’d been in such bad shape that they’d passed out. Odd that they always seemed to either wear similar dark uniforms with large brass buttons or be very scary—or, like this man, both at once. But, since he was not the first, Yuji knew what he needed to do.

The ten-year-old boy shuffled closer and put his hands on either side of the strange adult man’s face, ignoring how the man’s arm wrapped loosely around his waist. The man’s breathing was ragged and loud, but steady. He smelled of dry blood, but also expensive cologne, and a little bit like sour candy. Sight, touch, sound, smell… yes, this was enough. Yuji could fix him.

Dad had sung, because Dad had had a good voice and liked music. Yuji recited stories.

“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit,” he began, keeping his volume low and his tone soft, almost but not quite a whisper. “Not a dirty, nasty, wet hole, full of the ends of worms and an oozy smell; nor yet a bare, dry, sandy hole, with nothing to sit down on or to eat. This hole was a hobbit hole, and that meant comfort.”

He recited the entire first chapter of The Hobbit, word for word, and watched the stranger’s face carefully. The grimace of pain eased away; the furrowed brow smoothed. By the time Yuji reached the end, the stranger was simply asleep. No longer in pain, no longer afraid, no longer lost and confused.

Yuji, however, was exhausted, and felt like he was going to cry. He’d never felt this awful after helping someone. Maybe that was why the man had passed out, though. Yuji removed his hands from the man’s face and backed away, and sat on the coffee table with a thump, like a puppet being dropped.

“I have his phone,” Grandpa said, calling Yuji’s attention. “I’ll call the last person in his contacts. Go to bed, Yuji. You’ve done what you can.”

“No I haven’t,” Yuji said frankly, frowning. “He’s still all torn up inside. I can feel it. Just ‘cause he’s asleep doesn’t mean he’s not still hurt.”

Grandpa smacked Yuji upside the head lightly, making him squeak. “Yes, but you can’t fix everyone, you fool. Go to bed. Rest. You can finish helping him tomorrow before school.”

Yuji sighed, hugged his grandfather tightly, and went to his room. He hoped the man stayed the night. He didn’t like thinking about who might hurt him in his current state.

~\0/~

Shoko frowned at her cellphone. Had Satoru ever called her on a mission? Something must truly be wrong.

“Hey, dumbass, what scrape have you gotten into this time?” she asked as she answered, trying to sound casual. If she answered with worry, he might lie and act like he was fine.

After a strange pause, a very old voice said cautiously, “Are you Shoko?”

Her spine straightened. “That depends entirely on who you are,” she replied coldly, her heart pounding in alarm. “How did you get Satoru’s phone from him?”

“Ah. Well… I am Itadori Wasuke. The owner of this mobile is currently passed out on my sofa. He appears to be ill, but luckily my grandson was able to help him.”

“Ill?” Shoko stood and headed for the door. “Not injured?”

“No, not that I can tell.”

“Your grandson was able to help him, though?” She bit her lip as she tried to think of any sorcerers on the payroll with the last name Itadori… none, none at all. “Is he a Guide?”

“A what?” Wasuke asked blankly. “He just has a knack for calming people down.”

Her heart sank, even as she began to run down the hall to the garage. There was no time for the train, and she had never been good at warping to places she hadn’t been before. “He’s a child, isn’t he? Elementary age.”

“How did you know that?”

“If he were older, he’d be registered. Where is he? Is he alright? If Satoru is passed out, please check on your grandson and make sure that he’s safe. I’ll be in Sendai in a few minutes.”

“You don’t even have our addr—”

Shoko hung up and sprinted the rest of the way. If Satoru had zoned so bad that he’d passed out, something truly awful must have happened. She might have to erase the child’s memory. There was no way an untrained child could pull Satoru of all people from a zone without being damaged.

In the car, Shoko put her phone on speaker and called Ijichi. When he picked up, sounding flustered, she cut across him, “Sorry to bother you, Ijichi-kun, but Satoru zoned, and an unregistered Guide found him. Can you search the Sendai records for an Itadori? They’ll be young, not yet sixteen.”

“Of course, Ieiri-san,” Ijichi replied, all cool efficiency now that he knew the situation. Such a pity that he wasn’t strong enough to be a sorcerer—he kept his head just as well as Nanami, and was twice as tactful. But he was also too good a leader and too incredible at managing to do solo work like sorcery. “Sendai, Itadori, under sixteen. Ah—yes, there is one. A ten-year-old boy. Do you need his address?”

“Please.”

Ijichi rattled it off, and Shoko nodded to herself. That was close to where Satoru’s mission had been. He hadn’t gone far before sensing the Guide. Good. She spared a thought for that poor child, presumably overwhelmed by a strange Sentinel’s zoning; even she couldn’t quite handle Satoru when it got bad, and they were dear friends. She knew that man’s brain better than he did. A little kid, untrained and unknown? She really hoped his grandfather could keep him safe and calm until she got there.

Sendai was far quieter than Tokyo at ten o’clock, but Shoko was still forced to slow down and obey traffic laws. By the time she reached the small, sleepy neighborhood, her teeth hurt from clenching her jaw. Parking on the street, she got out of the car and strode to the door. She could sense Satoru, alright, but… she hesitated, her hand raised to press the doorbell. He didn’t feel zoned. His emotions were calmed… calmer than she’d ever managed to get them.

And the young Guide wasn’t panicking or suffering.

Shoko rang the bell. The door opened in a few minutes, and a tiny old man with a sour expression eyed her critically.

“Itadori Wasuke, I assume?” Shoko asked.

“Yes. He’s still asleep.”

“Good. Your grandson?”

“Also asleep. It’s past his bedtime.”

Shoko frowned, but shook her head. No need to worry if the boy was fine. Satoru was her priority right now. “Alright. May I come in, please? I need to get Satoru back home, and it’ll be easier if I can wake him up.”

“Of course. Please make yourself at home.”

She didn’t really take in the physical appearance of the home, but she did note that the amount of cursed energy was unusually low, and the number of familiar residuals unusually high. She even recognized Mei-san and Utahime-senpai’s signatures, faintly. But overwhelming all of them was Satoru, calmer than he’d been in years, and deeply asleep, sprawled on the sofa.

Shoko knelt next to him, licked her pinky, and stuck the wet digit in his ear.

Satoru jerked awake with a squeal of shock. Shoko ducked his clumsy slap easily, and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Uh?” Satoru blinked at her, confused. Then his eyes widened, and a look of horror crossed his face. “Oh… fuck. I zoned.”

“Yes, but luckily Itadori-san’s grandkid found you. So--”

“He didn’t.” Satoru sat up, rubbing his face with both hands. “I came to him.”

“...What?”

“I could sense him from across the city,” Satoru said, slightly impatient. “But he’s just a kid. Fuck, is he alright? Did I…”

“He’s fine,” Wasuke interrupted, frowning as Satoru and Shoko both looked at him. “Why are you both so fussed? He’s young, but his father taught him well. This is the first time anyone has sought him out at home, though.”

Shoko bit her lip. Then she asked, “Itadori-san, what do you know about Yuji’s… ability?”

“He inherited it from his father, my son,” Wasuke replied, his frown turning thoughtful. “Jin could calm a crying baby. Yuji can tell what others feel, break through killing rages, and has talked at least three people down from suicide. He’s never been as tired as he was after fixing this one, but he’s bound to have limits. You know more, though.”

“Yes.” Shoko glanced to Satoru. Satoru looked back, made a face, nodded. Shoko turned back to Wasuke and explained, “Yuji is a Guide. Sort of like an empath. I’m a Guide, too, as well as a doctor. It’s highly unusual for a child, especially a young one with no formal training, to be able to pull a Sentinel like Satoru out of a zone without suffering some form of psychological backlash. But… this isn’t the first time he’s done so?”

“No.” Wasuke stroked his chin. “There was that older boy with a scar over his eye and a strange hairstyle, and the woman with blue hair who gave him 600 yen. Lots of people have dropped by the house and told me they’ve met him and wanted to repay his kindness. So far it’s just little things, food and toys and pocket-money; but I am worried for him. He’s too kind. One day he may end up helping someone who won’t be good.”

After a moment, Wasuke asked, “Do you train these… Guides?”

“Not us,” Satoru said softly, “But we graduated from a school that does. We can put in a request that he be considered for enrollment.”

Wasuke nodded, looking relieved. “If you could, I would be grateful,” he said. “Did you want to speak to him? You’ll have to come back tomorrow afternoon; he has school, and I’m not waking him up again.”

“I did, yes,” Shoko said. “May I come by at four?”

While she and Itadori Wasuke discussed when she should come, how long she should stay, and what she should talk to Yuji about (Wasuke insisted Shoko stay for dinner, as thanks for checking on Yuji; Shoko insisted that it wasn’t necessary, any Guide with half a heart would want to make sure he was alright), Satoru put on his glasses and paced the living room, hands in his pockets. When all was decided, the two sorcerers thanked Wasuke and said good night, and left the house. As they were walking to the car, a sleepy young voice called, “Wait! Wass’yer name?”

Shoko turned, surprised, to see a tiny boy with reddish-blond hair and truly enormous eyes hanging out the window, squinting blearily at Satoru. Satoru himself flinched, before hitching on a friendly smile, turning, and answering, “Gojo Satoru. Thanks for your help, Yuji-kun.”

The boy grinned. “You’re welcome, Gojo Satoru,” he replied. “Come back some time! Grandpa makes the best chicken meatballs!”

“I will,” Satoru promised, still smiling.

“Yuji! Get back in bed! You have school tomorrow!”

The boy waved one last time and closed his window. Shoko and Satoru got into the car. Shoko drove much more sedately, and glanced often at her friend. His smile had vanished as soon as the boy couldn’t see him anymore, and now he looked… haunted.

“Would telling me what happened help?” Shoko asked softly.

“Yeah,” Satoru murmured promptly, startling her. “It wasn’t that difficult of a mission. Curses are always easier to exorcise when they’re newly born. But… there were witnesses. Some stupid teenagers getting drunk in the basement. I tried to get them to leave, but they wouldn’t listen, so I thought I’d just herd the curse up to the top floor, away from them. It smashed through seven stories to get to them.” Satoru closed his eyes tightly; Shoko kept her hands on the wheel, even though the rising tide of grief beside her plucked at her attention like a needy child.

“Any survivors?” she whispered.

“No,” Satoru croaked. “I managed to kill the damn thing before it could disfigure the bodies, though. Fuck. I was so stupid, Shoko.”

Shoko pulled over, flicked on the car’s hazard lights, and pulled Satoru into a hug, stroking his hair soothingly. He crumpled against her, breathing harshly. She really couldn’t think of anything to say that would make him feel better; it had been stupid to simply leave those teenagers alone, and it had been arrogant of him to think he could exorcise the curse before it took advantage of its placement directly above helpless children. Grief and shame must be what had tipped him into a zone; Limitless would’ve negated physical stimuli, and Satoru’s hearing was selective at best.

The emotions were overwhelming—but, oddly enough, Satoru wasn’t re-triggered into another zone. Shoko frowned slightly to herself.

“Satoru,” she said slowly, “How far away were you from that boy, Yuji?”

“I don’t know,” he replied dully. “It was at least a mile. I was trying to find the manager who lowered the veil, but…”

Shoko bit her lip, and pressed her face to his hair. She didn’t like the implication of that. A Guide that powerful was the perfect match for Satoru, truly—but Itadori Yuji was only ten. It would be unspeakably cruel to snatch him away from his life here and sequester him at Jujutsu Tech until he was old enough, and trained enough, to bond with Satoru.

But… others had visited him. Others knew him. Why didn’t she and Satoru?

“We both need sleep,” Shoko sighed. “I know the council will want you to write your report while it’s still fresh, but as your doctor and assigned Guide, I think you need to be in bed as soon as possible.”

“You’re not the boss of me,” Satoru grumbled, and Shoko giggled.

Upon returning to Tokyo, the two sorcerers grabbed a midnight snack from a corner store and ate in one of the school’s courtyards, silent with exhaustion. Then they went to bed. Shoko hugged Satoru in the hall before they split in opposite directions to their rooms.

“Tomorrow, when you go see Itadori,” Satoru whispered, “Can… can you tell him I said I’m sorry?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

~\0/~

In his dreams, he sat on the cool ground, his head on someone’s knee, as they read to him. Their hand stroked his hair soothingly. They felt like home. There was a thick, warm ribbon of trust and affection and quiet joy connecting their mind to his.

He knew this moment, this positioning. He’d been here before. With Suguru.

How could he bond with anyone, when there was still a raw, gaping wound in his soul where Suguru had been?

~\0/~

Gojo Satoru didn’t visit the next day, but the tired-looking lady in a doctor’s coat did. She introduced herself as Ieiri Shoko, and told Yuji that she had the same ability as him.

“Is that why I can’t tell what you’re feeling?” Yuji asked, tilting his head. It was very unusual for him to not know on sight what someone was feeling, and if they needed his help.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. “No, the reason you can’t tell is because I’m shielding,” she explained. “I don’t do it very often, but I’d rather not overwhelm you.”

“Okay,” Yuji said, even though he really didn’t understand. He got the feeling she was one of those adults who wasn’t used to explaining herself, and he wanted to be polite and not distress her when she was a guest. “How’s Gojo-san? Is he okay?”

“Satoru’s fine,” Shoko assured him. “This isn’t the first time he’s zoned so badly; he’s probably in bed, and he’d better be eating and staying hydrated or I’ll kick his—butt.”

“You can swear, it’s fine. Grandpa says bad words all the time.”

Shoko smiled wider. “What a funny kid you are,” she murmured. “Thanks, Yuji-kun. Satoru is fine, he knows what he’s doing. I’m here to ask how you are, though.”

“I’m fine, too,” Yuji said, frowning a little. “I was really tired last night, and sad, but sleeping helped.”

“That’s lovely and I promise I believe you, but it shouldn’t be possible. Yuji-kun, may I do a quick assessment of your mind? I won’t be able to read your thoughts. I just want to make sure you’re actually alright, and not just blocking off trauma, which will make life much harder for you when you’re older.”

Yuji sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Shoko reached forward and rested her fingertips gently against his forehead. Yuji’s spine stiffened as he felt the oddest sensation; almost like those cool, elegant fingertips had sunk through his skull and were resting directly on his brain. It was not painful. In fact, it was… kind of nice. Almost ticklish, but not in the way that made him want to jerk away or squeal.

Shoko’s eyes widened, and her mouth formed a little ‘o’ of shock. Carefully, she retracted her hand, and asked Yuji, “How long have you been helping people, Yuji-kun?”

“Year an’ years,” he replied promptly. “As long as I can remember. It was mostly just Grandpa and my friends at school, but when we moved here a really nice lady with a scar on her face was crying in the park, and she recognized me. Not like, knew me, but she recognized what I could do, and she got really upset ‘cause she thought I’d followed her, but I read to her from my textbook and she calmed down. She brought me candy the next day. I think she said her name was Utahime? She’s come by a few times since, but not for a while.”

“I know Utahime,” Shoko said, beginning to smile. “She’s a teacher, now, so she can’t get away from her students much anymore. Who else have you helped?”

“Lessee… there was the lady with blue hair who gave me money… and then there was the really tall boy, I think he was only a couple years older’n me, but he wasn’t crying or angry, he was, like… laughing, and hitting a guy who was already dead. I got him to stop and wash off the blood, and then a lady who said she was his older sister showed up and thanked me. I don’t think they were related, though. They looked different. He called me “little brother” when he’d calmed down and gave me a Kamen Rider figure. Oh, and there was the old man with a guitar, even older than Grandpa, but he was really strong. He sends me CDs a lot, and sometimes he and Grandpa talk on the phone about old people stuff like politics and music these days.”

Yuji listed off everyone he’d helped, which was… a lot. He remembered all of them. Sometimes Shoko smiled, or looked thoughtful, or raised her eyebrows in surprise; once in a while she would murmur their name, like she knew them personally. Maybe she did, if she had the same ability as him.

It was impossible for Yuji to forget someone once he’d helped them. He didn’t really know what he was doing, but Daddy had said it was something like… blocking out the excess. Yuji didn’t just block excess, though; he absorbed, and sometimes he could feel himself giving back, though it was so instinctive that he wasn’t sure what, exactly, he was giving. He simply knew that, if he could touch someone and speak to them, he could make them feel better. Taking and giving like that felt a little bit like sharing bits of his heart. He didn’t mind, not if it made people happy.

He thought about Gojo Satoru again. How, of all the people he’d helped, Gojo had been the first to be horrified, and call him a baby.

“Shoko-chan,” Yuji began, “Does Gojo not like kids?”

“What do you mean?” Shoko asked, frowning.

“Well… when I opened the door last night, he looked scared, and he said I was a baby, before he passed out. Is he angry at me? He shouldn’t be, not when I was just helping.”

Shoko laughed softly and shook her head. “No, Yuji-kun, he’s not angry at you, and he doesn’t really have any feelings about kids one way or the other. It’s just… Satoru and I aren’t used to kids as powerful as you. He’s never been a good judge of age; he probably thought you were even younger than you are. And, well, it’s a little scary for people like him to realize that someone who can match them in one aspect is a very long ways behind them in others. You’re incredibly powerful, Yuji. So is Satoru. He’s never met someone so young and yet strong—which is a bit funny, because he was the same way.”

“He was?” Yuji asked, eyes widening.

“Yep. Physically gifted, but also his own ability manifested early, and the only Guides who could keep him calm were adults he knew and loved. You, though? A little kid, a stranger, managing to fix that hurricane in his head in just a few minutes? He’s horrified that he forced that on you, and I think he feels bad because he’s so primed to hurt others who aren’t used to him.” Shoko stopped, and smiled crookedly. “You’re too easy to talk to, Yuji-kun,” she admonished lightly. “No wonder so many of the others like you.”

“So you do know them all!”

“Not all. Most. I’m actually pretty new to my position; I only graduated two years ago. Maybe that’s why no one told me about you.” Shoko frowned thoughtfully into the middle distance for a moment, while Yuji considered what that meant. So he was like a secret that people only got to find out about when others decided they were good enough? That sounded fun! He grinned, pleased with his role.

Then he heard himself ask, “Can I come see them all?”

Shoko blinked, startled. “Ah… come again?”

“Can I come see them all?” Yuji repeated. “I wanna make sure they’re all okay. Especially Utahime-chan. She didn’t seem like the kind of person who asks for help, even if she really needs it.”

After a moment, Shoko smiled. “You know what? Sure. What’s your weekend look like, Yuji-kun? I’ll take you to visit Utahime.”

#jujutsu kaisen fanfic #gojo satoru #itadori yuji #ieiri shoko #jujutsu kaisen #what fuckin tags do people search I'm so out of touch

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starclanz · 1 year ago

Text

If you are to sit at the edge of the sky above

And you stare at the cats, long, and loved,

Gathered and living strong within a cliffside basin

You will meet the Pebbleclan cats

They look at the stars: purring in joy

Their hope is based in a small mewling kit

The queen is outstretched with fourkit

Named for the three that died before.

Ignored, and standing replaced, is the paw to later be

Stoneflower

And these are his life and times.

You may have heard rumors about this terrible cat

Terrible, or horrible, adorable, or just stoneflower

Some may proclaim him to be sour

He was misunderstood some explain

Rarely should they be accepted as sane.

Stoneflower was not a monster

He was of average size

Stoneflower was the leader’s foster

Don’t believe all the chatter:

He was a cat; he was found under a cedar.

Stoneflower was a wandering 'paw.

He spent much time wondering the stars

So Silverstar, being very smart, kept him by his side

And with all his heart, swept him under his wing

Stonepaw was quite the hunter

Though his mind was often more focused on something

Something else so small, he'd forget to bite

The scrawling prey crying like a locus

It would twist around and fall right out of his jaws

Perhaps, said the elderly healer Vastfeather

He is meant to be found for a realer role

But Stonepaw couldn't speak to the stars above

He stared back into the darkness; he was to meet me instead.

Hi young paw, what's your law?

Afraid of what a cat like me could do?

Relax, come on, hear the crow caw

Believe me when I can say I could make your dreams come true.

I don't have much dreams

I don't see a crow

And I think maybe I should go

I don't recognize you.

Are you someone I should know?

My name is Rabbistripe

Let me exercise your mind

I'm a curse

And you're my number one

I doubt you're a curse

But again, I have no dreams

I bet I'm much worse

Wait. If you could,

Would you tell me where I'm meant to be?

I couldn't tell as such!

But I can let you know where you're meant to go

And if you listen, though I know you won't

I can give you dreams

Or I can make it seem

Like your nightmares are going to hasten

And break you in two.

That's not necessary

That's not right

If I'm meant to go

Am I meant to fight?

So the apprentice went to his father

Who sat with his queen and kit

Tired in the moment of the stonepaw menace

"Stonepaw, sit, what's on your mind?

That look on your face, you look like a fiend."

Stonepaw tipped his head, and fired off,

"I want to fight. I want a battle."

Silverstar outstretched, "You're young." He rattled, "but, alright."

The Pebbleclan cats had long been in skirmish

With a group of rogues based away the basin

They lived in big bin

Next to an abandoned chicken coop

Their pelts were thin

And their fur the color of sand

Silverstar gathered the clan cats

or at least all the strongest ones

The ones that mattered

And Stonepaw

Stonepaw longed to see the land

And Silverstar began his speech to his humble cats

"We will sit outside the tree!

We will tumble and rumble

Make noises and ride it out

Until the rogues come to see

Their choices will be dumb.

And we'll have won!"

Silverstar, sleek and sure he was speaking for the voices

Of the stars above,

let out a mighty purr,

"See, my cats, to battle is to rattle

The cats must be swept off their paws

we must be as frightening as bats

they're just as adept

But what makes us different, and this is a must–"

The cats tipped their head, as Silverstar closed his eyes, and no cat spoke, except for silly stonepaw, who cried,

StarClan is who we trust!

"Stonepaw, shush!" Silverstar said.

Stonepaw's ears pinned, and remained even as they found the tree

He felt a strange sense of dread.

Silverstar softened and lead Stonepaw, and the kit now Fourpaw, away to a trench,

"Pray, over this prey." He said, "My sons. It is what I always do, and I would like for you to do too."

They pressed their bodies together in the mud,

and Stonepaw felt their warmth,

as they began to say,

"Oh, StarClan. Let us succeed.

Oh, StarClan, save the damned."

But as his father and his brother kept their eyes closed

Stonepaw couldn't find it in him to rave,

He just stared out, and he saw me, in kind.

"I will live for your glory!" meowed Fourpaw

"I will try not to make you sorry." Said Stonepaw.

the cats sat by the tree all day

The heat so hot they wished they could swim

Until they could see the sand colored cats coming their way.

The battle was bloody

attacking the cats like they were rats

And all the while, Stonepaw thought

Even as he fought

Did they really want him dead?

Well, poor Stonepaw proved that to himself

and silly as it was, he was dragged back to the bin

by a tall soft tom, whose long tail sagged,

And who was seeing red.

"May you be an example.

may your clan know what they've done wrong

but, enough with the preamble." Said the tom,

"hear the bird's song."

All Stonepaw heard was the crow caw

As he was lead to the edge of the camp

Leaning over the pool of dark muddy water

the rocks so covered in moss it was like they had fur

He was on the edge, about to be drowned,

When Briarpaw, pelt of stars, appeared to him,

Briarpaw, my kit of a brother

Drowned in the water

Moons ago

And so stars dropped from his pelt

And gathered by his eyes and the permanent welts as he wandered the territories

Saving all he could

Or at least all that should

From drowning with a burst of inspiration

And he dared to say to Stonepaw, shocked by his stars,

Hey kit, don't be scared

Hold your breath, dive right in

Swim swim swim, until you're within

A river or stream as fast and sweet

as the air in which you'll need to breathe

And he looked me in the eyes

And he hooked his claws

And he swung around

Slapped the tom with the palm of his paw

blood welling right up

and then he booked it

Into the water

Learned to swim

until he knew he could win

Rising in the bog

Just as the sky filled with morning fog

Stonepaw stepped out into the clearing

His body thin: his ribs very visible

He found the clan cats mourning

And why?

Stonepaw was back!

Though his pawsteps were wary

And well older now,

His shaggy fur dull

Fourpaw, now Fourbeam

gleamed at the sight of his brother

Licking his ear,

And carrying him to the boulder in the center of camp

Free from fear, Stonepaw rested for half a moon

till Silverstar entered.

"My son, your foolish behavior nearly got you killed. But, thanks to the savior of StarClan, you returned, and so I think you've earned…"

A flower able to burst from a rock

It's roots finding their way through cracks

Searching for ways to quench their first

it's petals shooting up to the sun, trying to stay on the colorful track

A flower in the stone is full of power, it's pushed its way through the impossible, but it remains completely alone,

and a single flower often looks much duller,

But nonetheless the flower has survived

And perhaps, with a burst of wind to carry some pollen

It may even thrive

So our young stonepaw gained his name, Stoneflower, for the miracle that gave him fame.

Stoneflower was now very glorious

and the cats decided to take him serious

Though he still could not hunt

Or speak to the stars

Or fight

and as the sun lightened and dimmed

Moons carried him to mediocrity

Poor Stoneflower, his glory died too soon!

Cats looked at him with disappointment:

He lived and for why?

He may have been more wonderful if he died

He lived for his clan, but his clan can without him

Poor Stoneflower, he can't do anything right

Hour after hour, he stuck by the side

He was in a rut:

Where was he meant to go now?

And we met again, we began to confide

You could bother to bow to me, kit

After all, I was the one who sent you back

You're hiding in this dark den

Waiting for me.

Rabbistripe, it's a funny thing

I'm not sure what to do

Even as we sit sunning

I'm sitting far away

From the other cats

I don't know why I find it so hard

Well kit there's more for you

You've gotta get going, see something new

There's more stars passed the clan

Passed the twolegs, too, in the bottom of a ravine

There's something to be seen,

If you'd only listen to this task,

Though the walks a little far

Stoneflower returned to his father.

Who sat in cool moonlight, looking out over the cats, but before Stoneflower could make his case,

"Vastfeather has seen something, and I believe it may be right for you." Said Silverstar,

with a shiver, "To see if StarClan can be reached, in a river, in a stream, at the bottom of a ravine. Though you are not a superb healer, and hunting is not your sorting, I mean to say, perhaps travel is your forte, and I know you can run!"

Stoneflower felt pleased, it even sounded fun!!

"Bring your brother, and some others…" Silverstar said, "Show us why StarClan bothered to let you live."

Stoneflower began his quest, head held high,

And I was sure to stick by his side.

Though there are many cats who think they could tell you the rest

Cats who tell a story of a day and a half of a trip

To three camps, former clans,

And how Stoneflower found them,

Alone, hiding in a tunnel, and how he ran!

StarClan was not there, but he met a cat.

#long post #warrior cats #the return of starclan #poetry

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the-wookong · 3 months ago

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youtube

Anime (1963 - 1973)

Astro Boy 鉄腕アトム Eight Man エイトマン Galactic Boy Team 銀河少年隊 Gigantor 鉄人28号 Hermit Village 仙人部落 Locus 軌跡 Man and Woman and Dog 男と女と犬 Time 時間 White Elephant しろいぞう Wolf Boy Ken 狼少年肯 Aos アオス Big X ビッグX Hyokkori Gourd IslandKiss Kiss Kiss Maruai 丸愛 Memory めもりい Mermaid 人魚 Renown レナウン Zero-sen Hayato 0戦はやと cosmic boy soran 宇宙少年ソラン Dolphin Prince ドルフィン王子 Fight! Osper 戦え! オスパー Hustle Punch ハッスルパンチ Kachi Kachi Yama かちかち山 Kenken Goku Fuufu Teikin 堅々獄夫婦庭訓 Kimba the White Lion ジャングル大帝 M.S. Chanda チャンダ号 new treasure island 新宝島 Pride the Master Thief 怪盗プライド Prince Planet 遊星少年パピイ Q-Taro The Ghost オバケのQ太郎 Space Ace 宇宙エース Space Alien Pipi 宇宙人ピピ Space Patrol Hopper 宇宙パトロールホッパ The man next door 隣の野郎 Tobacco and Ashes たばこと灰 Wonder Three W3 [ワンダースリー] Au Fou! 殺人狂時代 Cyborg 009 サイボーグ009 Harris' Whirlwind ハリスの旋風 Jump Out! Batchiri とびだせ! バッチリ Kaiju Booska (opening) 快獣ブースカ Leo the Lion ジャングル大帝進めレオ! Marine Boy がんばれ! マリンキッド Monoshiri University-Tomorrow's Calendar Osomatsu-kun おそ松くん Pictures at an Exhibition 展覧会の絵 pirate prince 海賊王子 Planetary Mask 遊星仮面 Rainbow Squadron Robin レインボー戦隊ロビン Robotan ロボタン Sally the Witch 魔法使いサリー Tsuiseki 追跡 adventure boy shadar 冒険少年シャダー Comet san コメットさん Donkikko ドンキッコ Fantasy City 幻影都市 Goku's Great Adventures 悟空の大冒険 Golden Bat 黄金バット Heidi- Girl of the Alps Pilot Hey, I'm Guzura! ective Stories 佐武と市捕物控 sasuke サスケ Shadow かげ Star of the Giants 巨人��星 Sunset Ringleader 夕やけ番長 Vampire バンパイヤ A Shining Example of a Bully 男一匹ガキ大将 A Thousand and One Nights 千夜一夜物語 Akko's Secret ひみつのアッコちゃん Attack No.1 アタックNo.1 Dororo どろろと百鬼丸 Flying Phantom Ship 空飛ぶゆうれい船 Furious Ataro もーれつア太郎 Judo Boy 紅三四郎 Kamui the Ninja 忍風カムイ外伝 Lupin III - Pilot Film ルパン三世 Marine Boy 海底少年マリン Moomin ムーミン plum star denka ウメ星デンカ Sazae-san サザエさん Star of the Giants vs. Mighty Atom 巨人の星対鉄腕アトム Tiger Mask タイガーマスク Animal Village Stories 動物村ものがたり Cleopatra クレオパトラ Goro the Terrible ばくはつ五郎 Hikoichi's Wits 彦一とんちばなし Honeybee Hutch 昆虫物語みなしごハッチ Kicking Demon キックの鬼 Mako the Mermaid 魔法のマコちゃん Misuke in The Land of Ice 氷の国のミースケ New York Trip ニューヨーク・トリップ Norakuro のらくろ shameless highschool opening ハレンチ学園 The Bathroom ザ・バスルーム The Creation 新・天地創造 the flower and the mole 花ともぐら THE FUNNY JUDO CHAMPION いなかっぺ大将 The Gentle Lion やさしいライオン The Great Adventures of Love 恋の大冒険 The Red-Blooded Eleven 赤き血のイレブン Tomorrow's Joe あしたのジョー You Fool Koushien! 男どアホウ! 甲子園 Animal Treasure Island どうぶつ宝島 Animentary The Decision アニメンタリー・決断 Apache Baseball Team アパッチ野球軍 Attack No.1 Movie 4 アタックNo.1 涙の不死鳥 Chikotan チコタンぼくのおよめさん Commercial War Commercial War December Song 12月のうた Demon Love Song 鬼恋歌 Genius Bakabon 天才バカボン Golgo 13 ゴルゴ13セレクション Good-by Marilyn サョナラ太郎てんまのとらやん The Extravagant Muchabei 珍豪ムチャ兵衛 wandering sun さすらいの太陽 Zoom the White Dolphin イルカと少年 Astroganger アストロガンガー Chappy the witch 魔法使いチャッピー Chief Joker ハゼドン Devilman デビルマン Gatchaman 科学忍者隊ガッチャマン GO GET THEM 0011 魔犬ライナー００１１変身��よ Head Spoon ヘッド・スプーン Little Samurai 赤胴鈴之助 Mazinger Z マジンガーZ Moonlight Mask 正義を愛する者、月光仮面 My Dear Coco モンシェリCOCO New Moomin ムーミン Panda! Go Panda! パンダコパンダ Piggyback Ghost おんぶおばけ Return of Pero ながぐつ三銃士 Road to munich ミュンヘンへの道 Star and Rainbow 星と虹と Tamagon the Counselor かいけつタマゴン The demon 鬼 The Gutsy Frog ど根性ガエル The King and the Nightingale 王様とナイチンゲール The Midnight Parasites 寄生虫の一夜 Triton of the Sea 海のトリトン Yuki's Sun ユキの太陽 Adventures of Korobokkuru 冒険コロボックル Adventures on Rainbow Pond けろっこデメタン Aim for the Ace! エースをねらえ! Babel II バビル２世 Belladonna of Sadness 哀しみのベラドンナ Conte No. 55's why is that コント55号のなんでそうなるの cutie honey キューティーハニー Doraemon ドラえもん Dororon Enma-kun ドロロンえん魔くん Jungle Kurobee ジャングル黒べえ Karate Master 空手バカ一代 Little Wansa ワンサくん Mazinger-Z Vs. Devilman マジンガーZ対デビルマン Microid S ミクロイドＳ Miracle Girl Limit-chan ミラクル少女リミットちゃん Neo Human Casshan 新造人間キャシャーン Oh Yoko! オー・ヨーコ! Panda! Go, Panda! The Rainy-Day Circus Samurai Giants 侍ジャイアンツ The history of helping each other The Panda's Great Adventure パンダの大冒険 travel 旅 Willie Boy 荒野の少年イサム Wonderland ふしぎないど Zero Tester 0[ゼロ]テスター

#anime #japan #animation #Youtube

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idksan · 5 months ago

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He waits, immobile, eyes fixed in the direction of the unseen mouth of the burrow.

He waits. Minutes pass. He continues to wait, utterly mo-tionless, listening.

And finally, after a few more minutes, he gives up on this burrow and trots off to a farther pasture. There he locates another burrow ("an interest in locus" in science-speak) and waits a few feet away from it in the tall grass, staring from yellow eyes, the black pupils large in the gathering dusk. He listens to the high-pitched voices of mice and presently he hears the scratching of small feet in the dirt. Every cell of his body seems focused on the mouth of the burrow. The sound of the tiny feet changes as they go from dirt to grass. Cat springs, pounces, and seeing now the furry juncture of head and body, he clamps down, eye-teeth sinking in, severing the mouse's vertebral column at the neck. The mouse instantaneously goes limp, dead.

Cat is suddenly afflicted by a sense of confusion. What should he do with the mouse? He bats it with a front paw and it flops over. Cat is not hungry. He has no urge to eat the mouse.

But there it is. Caught.

He picks it up by the scruff of its broken neck and begins to trot back to the house through the tall grass and into the unmowed yard to the back door. He pays no attention to the alarm chirts of the house finches. He pushes through the dog door into the house, and sets the mouse down on the tiled floor near the clothes dryer. The urge to hunt has been fulsomely assuaged. Cat pads into the living room where he rubs himself against Susanne's ankle, purring, at ease.

Excerpt from Do cats hear with their feet?, Jake page

#book #catblr #cats of the world #cats #all cats are beautiful #cats of the internet #cat facts #Cat hunt #Jake page #Do cats hear with their feet?#do cats hear with their feet

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meanncat · 1 month ago

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Heehee, I saw this on pinterest and thought it'd be funny to put Locus and Dr Starline in it...and it is. lol

#Dr Starline #Sonic the hedgehog #fanart #digital art #digital artist #meme #Locus the bat #sonic fanart #Dr Starline fanart #artists on tumblr #Locus Gay LOL #OC

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littlefrenchdog · 1 year ago

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 4 months ago

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🗞️📖 Bookish News 📖🗞️

🦇 Extra, extra. Read all about it! 📖 Good evening, bookish bats! A lot happened in the publishing industry last month, but here are a few highlights you may have missed!

Adaptations Jennifer Lopez's production company and Netflix - Emily Henry's Happy Place Laika (Travis Knight directing) - Susanna Clarke's Piranesi Universal (Taika Waititi directing?) - Percival Everett's James We Were Liars adds Rahul Kohli to the cast Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar have joined the cast of the Dexter prequel, Original Sin Chris McKay to direct Brynne Weaver’s Butcher and Blackbird Ayvan Williams, Jessica Belkin & Savannah Lee Smith casted for Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequited First looks for Heartstopper S3 are out Apple TV - Laura Lippman's The Lady in the Lake Adult Swim - Anthony Bourdain’s graphic novel series, Get Jiro! UCP - Chris Witaker's All the Colors of the Dark The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Barbara Robinson A24 - Jennifer Lawrence starring - Paul Rainey's Why Don't You Love Me? Netflix - Richard E. Grant and Tom Ellis casted for The Thursday Murder Club Sony - Michael Crichton and James Patterson's Eruption Renee Zellweger starring in 12 Months to Live Awesomeness - Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods The Uglies adaptation has a release date after 18 years (September 13) The trailer for Elin Hilderbrand's The Perfect Couple is up Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea is being adapted into a graphic novel Prime - Colin Firth joins the cast of Young Sherlock Universal - Omid Scobie's Royal Spin Netflix - Bridgerton Season 4 lead announced Amazon - Fourth Wing series adaptation is a go Apple TV - The trailer for Pachinko! Season 2 is up An adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys will open the 62nd New York Film Festival Patton Oswalt’s comic book Minor Threats is being adapted into a live-action series HBO - Dune: Prophecy releases in November

Cover Reveals Babylonia - Costanza Casati The Get Off - Christa Faust The Ragpicker King - Cassandra Clare What Does It Feel Like - Sophie Kinsella Wake Up and Open Your Eyes - Clay McLeod Chapman Ageless - Renee Schaeffer The Thirteenth Child - Erin A. Craig Song So Wild and Blue: A Life With Joni Mitchell - Paul Lisicky The Meadowbrook Murders - Jessica Goodman On Her Terms - Amy Spalding Onyx Storm - Rebecca Yarros The River Has Roots - Amal El-Mohtar The Wind Weaver - Julie Johnson In Gad We Trust - Josh Gad The Life of Herod the Great - Zora Neale Hurston (posthumous) The Other People - CB Everett How My Neighbor Stole Christmas - Meghan Quinn

Upcoming Releases I Saw the TV Glow director Jane Schoenbrun has a debut novel coming out, Public Access Afterworld Carol Moseley Braun is writing a memoir, Trailblazer: Perseverance in Life and Politics New memoir by Hilary Rodham Clinton The Road is Good - Uzo Aduba Leo Martino Steals Back His Heart - Eric Geron Viola Davis is co-writing with James Patterson

News Macmillan is launching a "new adult fiction" imprint. The 2024 Locus Award winners were announced The 2024 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced Nebula Award winners were announced Random House is buying Boom! Studios

#books #book news #publishing news #book publishing #publishing #book adaptation #new books #book covers #batty about books #battyaboutbooks

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rubykgrant · 2 years ago

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(Silly background RVB relationship stuff that I may or may not expand on more in the full story-line, but it definitely all happened in the background, so I'm just gonna ramble with it here~)

Caboose is a person who can make "friends with benefits" work, because he genuinely cares about being friends; paying attention to what the other person needs, being honest if that's something he comfortable with, making sure they respect his own boundaries, and remaining on good terms through it all. It helps that Caboose has become aware of how... over-zealous he can be. So! Good communication and understanding personal-space! Very helpful. Also, he's had better luck with relationships in the past than some of the others (he might not understand all of Tucker's perv jokes, but he absolutely knows how different kinds of romantic/sexual relationships work). So, at some point after all the time-travel shenanigans...

Donut has never actually "dated" anybody before. He and Doc have a relationship that is downright domestic, but for them it's more of an open QPR (Doc is aro/ace, but still enjoys affection, and they love spending time together). He had some wild fun on Chorus before, but big deal, that whole thing was bonkers. Donut isn't sure if he wants to live the single life with some fun flings, or start looking for something more serious. He hasn't really DONE anything with anybody! After talking to Caboose, really just venting and not hoping for a solution, Caboose suggests they could... try being together. Which Donut did not expect, but OK! Please and thank you! They still do everything they did together as friends, but now there is added activities in private where they kiss, cuddle, and yes- are sexually intimate. Very enjoyable for them both! Donut eventually checks if it would be alright with Caboose for him to see other people, which is fine. They remain friends, no more "benefits" while Donut has experiences with different partners, because whoever Donut might start seeing next, he would want to check and see how they get along with Caboose, what they're all comfortable with, so nobody feels "cheated". They're still fine spending time as friends (potential to get together again, or just a clean break, no pressure~)

Kai very much likes having fun and fooling around... but sometimes it is TIRESOME to go through everything involved with having sex. Even just hook-ups; you gotta go out, or look around on a dating site, make sure the other person isn't an ax murderer, potentially deal with somebody who is an a-hole, potentially deal with somebody who is WAY too clingy right off the bat, stock up on protection, all that jazz. She just wants to fool around with somebody who appreciates how nice it is to be physically close and share the moment, but won't be weird about it later! Caboose also listens to her venting, and has a suggestions. So, they proceed to have some fun times in bed together, and then after Kai doesn't have to worry about kicking him out/making an escape, because she likes his company! She also doesn't have to worry about him being a creep. They can enjoy themselves, then relax, share a shower, then watch TV or play video games. It's very chill. She eventually tells Caboose she's ready to go be the life of several parties again, and he's fine with that. Kai kinda gets the vibe that Caboose would want to eventually find somebody (or a couple people, he's polyam~) to "settle down" with, and while that ain't for her, she doesn't want to get in the way of that if he starts dating anybody seriously (he's not her booty-call on demand, but he is her FRIEND. if he's ever with anybody who's into the idea of being open, Kai will be right in there, but if not, no big deal)

Locus still has all kinds of twisted up feelings regarding his own "humanity", and if he even deserves happiness. He also was just very unlucky when he was younger, getting bad information regarding how relationship dynamics work, then never having much personal experience for years (being a human killing machine and such), THEN his longest relationship ever was. Felix. That sure does things to a person. They had a lot going on; friends, partners, lovers, and... some more unpleasant terms. Locus would really like to be with somebody who would NOT hurt him, and also knows exactly who he is. This is hard, because who he is can be potentially SCARY, and Locus wants to know that HE won't hurt somebody else. Once again, Caboose listens to his friend vent. Instead of jumping right into sexy times, Caboose offers to literally sleep with Locus, just holding each other and cuddling. If Locus wants more, Caboose is willing to do more. It isn't pity, and it doesn't come with strings attached, some obligation or favored owed later. They do become sexually intimate, and eventually, Locus asks if Caboose wants to try actually dating. They do, for a bit. It's very nice, and while it's good for both men in different ways, Locus still has other aspects of his life to work on, and he doesn't want Caboose to "wait" while that happens. So, they end the dating, but remain very good friends (again, it could be more again someday, perhaps even with others involved. Locus could even find other relationships for himself, now that he knows how good it can be~)

Also, it would just be very amusing for the Reds and Blues to have a return trip to Chorus, where they're asked to give an obligatory "Responsible Grown-Up Talk" to the new kids about relationships (communication, staying safe, being respectful, different aspects of sexuality, etc), and this is how Tucker finds out Caboose is, in fact, the hunka-hunka of Blue Team! This is also how Grif finds out Caboose and his sister have fooled around; everybody expects Grif would flip out over it, but he's just- "Y'know what? That's cool. Caboose is cool. I don't need to know ANYTHING ELSE about what my sister has been doing, but that's fine"

#red vs blue #rvb #sex talk #relationships #michael j caboose

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